The problem with not using the on-canvas crop is determining what the result looks like 
Just to show I am not a complete dinosaur, you can use GEGL - Filters -> Generic -> GEGL graph and make a preset such as
Works like this: https://i.imgur.com/mo1VzhH.mp4

Just to show I am not a complete dinosaur, you can use GEGL - Filters -> Generic -> GEGL graph and make a preset such as
Code:
crop
x=1
y=1
width=100
height=100
Works like this: https://i.imgur.com/mo1VzhH.mp4