@Jerk disease:I'm not thinking of Croc as the joker, or a psycho. I just see him as a sadistic, cruel man with zero empathy for friends or allies, who pisses on peoples beliefs for fun. Not insane, just an evil villain.
There was no risk involved in that event for Crocodile. He could’ve just let them hit him, and then die. When people are forfeiting their lives to attack you, and you take even that away from them, despite them not being able to hurt you in the first place…That’s pissing on peoples beliefs again, in this case dying peoples. You call it dickish, I call it sadistic.
Theres mocking your enemy, and then theres the equivalent of a beating up an unconcious opponent three weightclasses below you for fun.
In all of these situations Croc could just kill the damn annoying kids and be on his way, but like any Bond villain, doesn't just mock them but Monologue them. In Vivis case he chooses to spend 5 whole pages mentally assaulting a completely helpless defeated opponent for his own amusement.
That's what amuses Crocodile. Every single scene where he's amused, its because he's just tormented someone.
Telling the Captured straw hats about Yuba just to see their reaction.
Making them struggle to get a fake key fed to a bananadile.
Telling them the timing of, and excistence of the bomb, knowing they can't do shit even if they find it.
His whole speech to Vivi in Raindinners, showing just how pure cartoon evil he is
Crocodile: What do you think, Miss Wednesday? The plan that YOU HELPED set up is blooming…
If you listen carefully, I bet you could hear the shouting all over Alabasta!!!
And what do you suppose all of them believe?
That WE will protect them…!!!
Vivi: STOP IT!!!
HOW CAN YOU BE SO AWFUL…?!!
Crocodile: Hahahaha…!!
Isn't that a tearjerker? Love for one's country
is what will destroy it in the end…!!!
Zoro: I think this guy fits the definition of "depraved" to the letter.
It can all be versus "combatants" if you like, but deriving pleasure from making others suffer is pretty "evil" in my eyes.
As for his treatment of his underlings…
@JERK:
Because Mr. 1 is reliable and has stood by Crocodile. Mr. 3 was a cowardly Steve Buscimi ratty type and still is.
@JERK:
That's pretty normal Mafia shit, a paisano who stood by you when in the pen.
Mr. 3 is a Paulie, Mr. 1 is a Clemenza.
It’s not like Mr 3 wan’t a reliable asset either. Croc stated that the sole reason Mr. 3 got his rank was because he was a cowardly ratty guy. He only got Mr 2 sicced on him not because he failed a job, but because he didn't "kill" the straw hats efficiently enough at little garden. That moves beyond just being a strict employer for me, and is more like Krieg shooting random crewmembers for little to no reason to show that "yeah, this guy's evil".
@JERK:
The 7 Pair?? loll, what are you even saying anymore? They were launching the bomb, fully aware of what was going on. The sporadic billions in the battle were never said to be unaware of the bomb and as we saw had already left combat and gone Vivi hunting, probably planning on running off after completing that task.
@stephens:
Usopp: But if the blast diameter is 5 km, they have to be shooting from at least 2.5 km away, right?!
Vivi: No!!
That's wrong…!! I believe... the bombardiers must be close to the square...!!
Usopp: Why? Then they'd get blown up too…
Nami: THAT'S what kind of a man Crocodile is…
Chopper: He'd let his own allies die…?!!
Besides, if the bomb had a 5km diameter and was designed to affect the plaza from the tower, it stands to reason it'd work the other way around, sweeping up any goons between the tower and the plaza as well.
@JERK:
Of course a Mafia type doesn't trust. It doesn't exclude them of emotional connection or degrees of trust based around loyalty and past performance.
Do you watch any mob films?
It’s not that I don’t think “degrees of trust based on performance” is unthinkable in a mob boss, just not for Crocodile. The guy makes a point of directly saying that “Trust is the most useless thing in the whole world”, and that “if you sacrificed your friends you could get away alive”. And when he was ready to kill his longest standing ally from the moment he met her I really, really don’t see why Mr 1 is suddenly so special.
@JERK:
Quick reminder, when did Croc kill millions? And how many of the actual number that you pumped full of steroids were not soldiers?
Ok, Millions was an overexaggeration. My bad. But 3 years of drought in a desert country and civil war on the scale of involving 2 million rebels must've raked up tonnes of civilian deaths -just look at Erumalu. And why does it matter if it was soldiers/armed civilians fighting? Sure they know they’re in a profession that involves killing and dying, but doing so for a good cause. Who knows how many people died for no other cause than bring a criminal who doesn’t give two shits about them, with dreams of world domination, to power.
@JERK:
Yuba had a purpose, so did all of this. He was pulling a coup.
Yuba seaced to have a purpose after the rebels left. After that it was just Croc spiting some old man living in a ghost town.
And why does it having a purpose in what is more of a “master Plan” and less of a coup make it any better.
@JERK:
You need, you all need, to stop thinking of Croc as a psycho and as a mob boss. Because he's a mob boss.
I’m the first to confess I’m not that big of a mob movie buff, a knowledge of this genre could very well shed some entirely new light on Crocodiles actions, I wouldn’t know.
But even if “all mob bosses are like that”, I still can’t see how it would make the things above less evil.
@JERK:
You seem to be under the impression that Croc has undergone some sort of change of conscious and is now preaching the gospel or some shit.
He's grinning and planning his next ambitious something or other, wherin he will no doubt trample over dreams and lives to get what he wants.
One act of good motivated more by his own involvement in a huge flow of anger and resentment against the Government.
Even if you deny that aspect to it, and see it as one good pure act, it reverses nothing, shows no regreat, no change of heart.
Because clearly Croc is a robot programmed to do evil and is not capable of getting emotionally swept up in one of the most major conflicts on earth and in history. The entire Marine force was getting out of control and rampaging, and you find issue with Croc also being caught in the torrent of confusion and chaos. He's a human being too, you guys absolutely want your Joker don't you.
Me and Vanessa were preaching against this bullshit nonstop a year ago or so, I guess you missed out.
Croc was resigned to his fate. It was as obvious as anything. He was done at that moment. Ambitions crushed and nothing new on his plate. It fit beautifully with his character being a former dreamer cracked by bitter failure into a cynical exploiter.
The fact that he's now apparently feeling ambitious again is if anything the oddity, though it remains to be seen exactly what's changed his mind, maybe the whole new generation vibe of a Whitebeardless world.
Crocodile isn't riding a wave of ego and success. He's been dragged through the gutter and made something of a punchline, he's shown as much apathy as before, but minus the gleeful aspect. He's one combatant in a major battle, he can't afford to strut around like a big dick and throw away anything he doesn't like. You're looking at humbled Crocodile, and best of all for you? Once he's back on top of something, as he's clearly planning on, you'll probably see the old Croc again.
Oh for godsakes, get over it.
You're verging on scorned fanboy when you make complaints as irrational as this.
I can see your points, and they do a good job of explaining and justifying Crocodiles actions from impel down onwards. But I think It’s not that I vehemently oppose what he did at the war as much as I didn’t really see a need for him to be there to begin with.
The reason I dislike that spread is because of what it implies; that from this point onwards, Crocs villain status has ceased, and he’s moved into a greyer more neutral area. And it might be fanboyish, but I just like a good old fashioned, cartoony Evil, not misunderstood or sympathetic just Evil, villain. And Croc, and OP for that matter reached its peak for me with his diabolical abalasta antics.
Now, it feels like a Vegeta post-namek situation; the author had a former villain left still alive, but without sufficient strength to be a threat to the hero anymore. So he gets demoted from Arc Villain to “slightly weaker rival” or even “much weaker Ally”, and they live on as less entertaining versions of their former selves. I’d rather villains die or get sent to jail permanently than go through that.
Anyway, I just hope, as you said that Crocs drive will bring great villainous things, and that his less evil, not quite as dickish side will be left at the war.