Short Summary
A cover page mini-arc that focuses on Hatchan, one of Arlong's subordinates. After his defeat and being arrested at the end of the Arlong Arc. Hatchan manages to escape his prison transport and escape into the seas, having a number of odd misadventures along the way.
Main Summary
Escaping from a Marine ship, Hatchan spends some time traveling the sea floor, meeting new people, and receiving new things from them, so that he can give them to more new people he meets and receive other things in exchange. This leads to him receiving a trident, which he uses to fight off a sea monster. The sea monster spits up a sea boar, who then spits up a mermaid named Camie and her starfish friend Papaggu. They soon run into Hatchan's old friends the Macro Pirates, who offer Hatchan a trade: if Hatchan lets them have his new mermaid friend, they'll give him a treasure map that leads to where a legendary takoyaki recipe is kept. Hatchan agrees, much to Camie and Papaggu's horror, and sets off.It seems that years ago, Hatchan tried using takoyaki to propose to the octopus fish-lady Octopako, but was rejected. With this legendary recipe, Hatchan hopes to get more favorable results. However, when he reaches to where the map leads, he finds a giant octopus, Mash, there instead of any recipe. Furious at being tricked, Hatchan goes back to where the Macro Pirates were and learns from Papaggu that they plan on selling Camie. Hatchan finds and destroys the Macro Pirates' ship, thrashing the pirates and freeing Camie. Macro manages to insist that the map was real, and Hatchan, along with Camie and Papaggu, return to Mash. It turns out that there was a giant vat of takoyaki sauce inside of Mash! With both the defeated Mash, the sauce, and some treasure in hand, Hatchan sets off, as at this moment Octopako is in the area as well...
Both parties separately find a village of headband catfish that was wrecked by a sinking ship. While Octopako shrugs them off, Camie offers them her sympathy. Hatchan takes off, but soon returns, having traded the treasure for takoyaki ingredients. Setting up shop on a nearby island, Hatchan begins making Takoyaki for the catfish, but saves the last batch for Octopako. Octopako, having smelled and attracted to the legendary sauce, plans on taking the takoyaki but rejecting Hatchan. Just then, the catfish village elder arrives. Hatchan gives him the last takoyaki, earning a punch from Octopako.
Rejected by his love interest but comforted by Camie, Hatchan dreams of his childhood, where he hoped to have a takoyaki stand of his own. The catfish villagers come by to thank Hatchan for his help, and the reward is a brand new ship, the Takoyaki 8. With this mobile Takoyaki stand in hand, and two new friends on board, Hatchan's life is starting to look up!
Hachi's Walk on the Seafloor has the following tropes:
- Betty and Veronica: Young, naive, good-hearted Camie, contrasted with the vain, self-absorbed, Jerkass Octopako. Naturally, Hatchan keeps blindly pursuing the latter 'til the story's very end.
- Chain of Deals: The first part of the story, which ends with Hatchan getting his treasure map.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Camie and Pappagu make their first appearances here, years before their proper introduction in Sabaody. Also the Macro Pirates.
- Heel–Face Turn: Arguable if Hatchan was even a bad guy to begin with, but this arc solidifies this.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: As shown in Hachi's flashback: once upon a time, he, Kuroobi, and Chew really were just some plucky street kids dreaming of running a takoyaki cart.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Hatchan's actual escape from the Marines gets only one panel's focus; apart from the aforementioned flashback, nothing is said of the other Arlong Pirates, or whether Hatchan had any ideas of going back for them.note
