SUMMARY

Eiichiro Oda refuses to say if Crocodile, Mihawk and Doflamingo have children.
The Croco-mom theory has thus resurfaced, suggesting that Crocodile is Luffy’s mom who later changed her gender with Ivankov’s help.
The past images of Crocodile also seem androgynous.

Eiichiro Oda has created a vast world in One Piece, and generously sprinkled easter eggs all over the plot. Plot twists that no one could see were in the works for hundreds of chapters. Naturally, the One Piece fam is extra vigilant, and one of the theories is enough to stop you in your tracks.

Crocodile, the once powerful Shichibukai, is well known as the organizer of the crime syndicate, Baroque Works. In One Piece forums, he is also popular as ‘Croco-mom.’ Fans constructed the story behind Croco-mom in the late 2000s and it has gained more and more followers since then.

However, an SBS interview with Eiichiro Oda suddenly refreshed fans’ memories of Crocodile’s gender bender theory.

Eiichiro Oda’s Response to Crocodile Having Kids in One Piece

In an interview with SBS, Eiichiro Oda was asked if Crocodile, Mihawk, and Doflamingo are ever going to have children or if they will always stay single. In response, Oda said that they have been to weddings, but he will not comment on whether they have had children or not. This comment has thrown further suspicion on Crocodile due to the Croco-mom fan theory that has been making rounds in forums for years.
Imaginary children of Crocodile, Mihawk and Doflamingo | SBS
Next, Oda hurriedly finished the interview by presenting an imaginary take on the children of Crocodile, Mihawk, and Doflamingo.

What is the Croco-mom theory? Is Crocodile Luffy’s mom in One Piece?

If you are new to the Croco-mom theory, in a nutshell, it suggests that Crocodile was a woman who gave birth to Luffy and later became a man with the help of Ivankov. Now let’s get into the theory in detail.

The discussion began when Ivankov first met Crocodile in Impel Down. It turned out that Ivankov knew Crocodile already. This sparked the controversy that Ivankov might know Crocodile because, in his early years, he might have requested Ivankov to change his gender. Either Crocodile was originally a female and had Luffy with Dragon before changing, or he was always a male and had morphed into a woman in between, during which she had an affair with Dragon and conceived Luffy.
Crocodile Shichibukai Gender Bender | One Piece
But if Crocodile is Luffy’s mom, why is he hell-bent on feeding him to the crocodiles? It is possible that she later regretted the decision and begged Ivankov to turn him back. He might hate Luffy as he is the living proof of his blunder and thus wants to get rid of him. In fact, the Crocodile’s name itself could be a derivative of the animal because they eat their own babies.

This theory could easily be disproved if Crocodile’s past images were present in the manga. However, the problem is that none of the images can prove his gender very clearly. The first image is from Oda’s illustrations of the Shichibukai as kids. However, Crocodile looks tomboyish and androgynous, making fans doubt whether he is a guy or a girl.
Crocodile as a Kid | One Piece
During Gol D. Rogers’s execution, Crocodile is shown only from behind. His features look very ambiguous, and once again, it’s difficult to figure out his gender. Unfortunately, this does not prove or disprove the theory.
Crocodile during Gol D. Roger Execution | One Piece