IRON MAIDEN is the twenty-second chapter of the Black Lagoon spinoff series Dismemberment Galore! The Gore Gore Girl. It was originally released on June 17, 2021.
Plot[]
Outside a small storehouse, Sawyer the Cleaner and Rock walk toward the door as Rock remarks that her previous aid was helpful. Saying that he will do all the work due to the budget, Rock tells Sawyer that he will appreciate her guidance, and in response she crosses her arms with a confident face. He places down two buckets and begins to unlock the door, commenting that he wants to make the items inside a work of art that he will bring to the Lagoon Company. He hopes to make the finishing touches invisible to amateur eyes and hide the trails of blood, saying that thugs had messed with it before. Opening the door to the storehouse, they see a large iron maiden with a pointed head, darkened eye sockets, and a grimacing look, and next to it are a brazen bull and decorative items, and all these have trails of blood on them.
As Rock awkwardly states that the iron maiden looks amazing, Sawyer inches slowly away from Rock to the side. Rock tells her to wait, stating that he did not mean anything by his comment. Recapping what happened, Rock says that some hooligans broke the door's lock and got inside to throw a party, resulting in the mess inside. He finishes that he must take responsibility to deliver the item without being found out. Because there is no extra budget, Rock says he must do the cleaning. Sawyer grabs something below her, confusing Rock, but she mischievously smiles and holds a tool.
At the Yellow Flag, Revy and Eda sit together at the counter. As Revy drinks her glass of alcohol, Eda laughs to sarcastically say that Revy got such a masterpiece of a fun job, making Revy tell her to shut up. Eda looks at her and asks if Rock needs help, but Revy rebuffs her, responding that she already took care of the thugs. Smiling, Eda teases her by asking if she even knows how to clean up the mess, also asking her if Rock will be all right being alone with another woman. Although confused for a second, Revy remembers and moves her head back in laughter, saying that Rock and the "goth girl" would be an interesting couple. Eda teases her that it could happen since Rock's former country, Japan, is the home of hentai and they have "many fun toys." While Bao cleans a glass, Revy remains silent and drinks her own glass, and she hits back by passive-aggressively telling Eda to try one of those "toys" herself.
Back at the storehouse, Rock and Sawyer have their masks on as the latter inspects the former cleaning off the blood splatter. Exhausted, Rock comments that it is hard to clean off the blood and make the surface shiny, also saying in disgust that he has no choice but to clean it well without using chemicals. As he continues cleaning, Sawyer looks at the bull device, and Rock sees her and tells her that it is called a "Bull of Phalaris." He adds that if she opens the hatch and lights a fire inside with corpses, the people's screams will supposedly be converted into a cow noise. Opening the hatch, smoke comes out, surprising Rock, and Sawyer closes the hatch and looks back at him. Surprised that there is still a corpse inside, Rock runs to the storehouse door to find it locked from the outside and it will not open. Rock knocks on the door and asks who is outside. As Rock demands that they open the door, Sawyer's attention is caught by the bronze bull, and Rock smells the burning from the bull's smoke.
Trying to assess the situation, Rock thinks that friends of the hooligans from before are trying to kill them by locking them inside and having them burn to death, so Rock continues to knock on the door and yell for help. Seeing that the fire is burning fast, Rock then sees Sawyer climbing the items to try exiting a small window, remarking that he cannot fit through but Sawyer possibly can. Walking to her, he tells her that he will hoist her with his shoulder. As he gets beneath her, he accidentally sees beneath her skirt and her underwear, immediately turning away his face. Sawyer turns around with an angry face, stomping her foot onto Rock's right shoulder. He apologizes and says that he did not want to see either and continues attempting but struggling to hold her up. As Sawyer's hands inch closer to the window's bottom, she finally gets hold, but several bullets pierce through the window, shocking both her and Rock.
As Sawyer falls onto Rock and on top of him, Revy bursts through the door and calls for Rock and asks if he is all right. Seeing Sawyer make an awkward face while her skirt covers Rock's face on the ground, Revy briefly stutters and glares, furiously thinking that Rock has buried his face into Sawyer's bottom. Smiling angrily, the gunslinger sarcastically asks Rock if he is busy. She then clarifies that the thugs have been dealt with, telling Rock that he can take his time to enjoy himself. As she leaves, Sawyer stands still as Rock calls for Revy since the fire is still burning, but Revy shuts the warehouse door on him and furiously tells Rock that he can come out once he is done "cleaning" with Sawyer. As Rock pleads with her again, the bull of Phalaris makes a moo sound, interrupting the awkward atmosphere.
Notes[]
- The chapter title likely refers to the heavy metal band Iron Maiden, and the title also refers to the chapter's plot involving torture devices.