Once this storm picks up speed, even I won't be able to stop it.
In hindsight, he really should have known better.
The Mr. 5 pair was beaten? Who the hell did it?
There had been plenty of warnings signs.
Are you saying they're still alive, Mr. 3?!
He just chose not to heed them.
Why are you still alive?! Why do you come back every time I kill you?!
He supposed facing only weaklings for three years near the start of the Grand Line had made him complacent.
Pierced through, buried alive, dried up… The poison should be working already! How the hell does he still have this much power?!
Perhaps he had let his guard down, so close to achieving his goal.
You're just a rookie! I don't even know where you came from! Do you know who I am?! You're nothing to me!
He had become arrogant.
"I don't care who you are! Whoever you are…"
He had ignored the threat for too long.
"I WILL EXCEED YOU!"
By the time he noticed, it was too late.
"Gomu Gomu no… STORM!"
Really, he had no-one to blame but himself.
Just an interesting little observation I made. How Crocodile says not even he could stop a storm once it picks up, and Luffy's finishing move is storm.