Sand Man Headcanons

His Past and His Powers

Check out biteghost.tumblr.com for the origin of this headcanon
Okay so we all know his iconic earring, well apparently with pirates that means you've survived a sinking ship.
So what if when he was a captain he lost his crew and nearly drowned, he and some of his crew survived but they left him in the water. He gained a hatred for them and it also caused him to grow stronger abandonment issues, hence why he finds everyone expendable and has trust issues.
Well lets say as he drifted on the ocean waiting for land to exhausted to even try to get himself anywhere, at one point he sees an island and gets to it. Quickly dragging himself onto land he searches desperately for food. Finds a fruit which he knows is a devil fruit! So being hungry as he was he practically inhales that shit!! Trying to get over the foul taste he scurries more growing on his hate for his old crew!!
At a certain point he'd get off the island and search further, his pride already getting diminished by what had happened he gains a smaller crew and now knowing his abilities he tries to fight whitebeard!! Whitebeard knowing haki, cuts off his hand and cuts his face as a lesson. Afterwards he is betrayed again and left for being a "weak captain" thus he learns the true nature of the sea and how cruel it can be.
His ego got the best of him and caused him to give up on his dreams!!
Thus how he speaks to Luffy in the final fight, he speaks purely from experience!