Lagoon Company office

Office building exterior

The Lagoon Company office (ラグーン商会の事務所 Ragūn shōkai no jimusho) is the primary office and headquarters of the Lagoon Company. The office is inside a building complex in a residence on the second floor. For the Lagoon Company, the place serves as their main meeting place to hang out and discuss jobs or wait for new ones, but the Lagoon Company dry dock is also used as a secondary office since the Black Lagoon is docked there.

Features

In the manga, the signs on the building’s exterior on the first floor are advertisements for brands like Jack Daniels, Zenith Electronics, and Dickies, but in the anime, the signs are instead Vietnamese-language signs for different businesses, such as a motorcycle shop (Cửa Hàng Xe Gắn Máy). The building and office's windows are covered with iron window guards while the first floor and elevators have iron security grilles for doors. In the Lagoon Company office, the brown doors in contrast are wooden, and likewise the residence's baseboards and crown moldings are brown. Moreover, the walls are painted grayish cyan while the hard floor is a teal color. Additionally, the office's entrance door has a shopkeeper's bell.

Inside the living room are two blue couches opposite of each other with a rectangular coffee table in the middle, and to the right of the entrance on the wide side of the table is one blue armchair. There are three blind-covered windows opposite of the entrance and a potted plant to the right of the entrance, and to the entrance's left is a countertop cabinet and a small, white slat chair in the corner. Immediately to the right when a person enters the office is a bulletin board with a corded telephone to its left, and behind the armchair is a small kitchen area with a thin false wall near the armchair. In the kitchen area are the refrigerator, cupboard and kitchen counter, and on the walls near the kitchen entryway are two doors, one leading to the computer room.

History

Chase for ring-ding ships

Beginning to settle in Roanapur with the Lagoon Company, Rock bought some fruit from an old person. As Rock walked up the stairs to the office, Dutch grabbed a piece of fruit from the paper bag while leaving. Heading inside the office, Rock greeted Revy and asked where Dutch was going, but Revy showed no concern for his business and advised Rock to do the same. Accepting her answer, Rock tossed her a piece of fruit, which Revy spit out upon taking a bite due to its bitterness. Although Revy told Rock that he got scammed, the ex-salaryman simply sat on the armchair as Revy again warned him to avoid believing everything that he saw if he wanted to physically and financially survive in Roanapur. Later, Rock was sleeping on an armchair when Revy kicked his chair to wake him up, yelling that they had a job to do. While the rest of the crew was waiting downstairs for him, Rock was hurriedly washing his hands and then ran out of the office to the car.

After their job for Donnie Yen turned out to be a setup arranged by Chen, the Lagoon Company survived the ordeal and returned to their office. Revy expressed her disappointment, but Benny calmly remarked that they would get over it. At that point, the office phone rang, so Rock picked it up and informed Dutch that Balalaika of Hotel Moscow wanted to speak with him. The Russian leader commented that she knew about the trouble that Chen caused for the Lagoon Company, but Dutch replied that it was no skin off his back. Glad to hear his answer, Balalaika relayed to Dutch in an innuendo that she had captured Chen and also killed him in real-time in an explosion that Dutch was able to hear in the background. After learning that she would have a job for his company in the future, Dutch hung up and asked his employees if they had anything else planned for their night. Since the three had tasks that they could do later, Dutch proposed that he would take them out for drinks to the Yellow Flag to compensate for the false job, exciting Revy. As the four began to head out, Revy chastised Rock once more for not wearing the aloha shirt that she bought for him.

Das Wieder Erstehen Des Adlers

Returning to the office after running some errands, Rock was calculating the torpedo boat's fuel efficiency for cost purposes when Dutch arrived and asked him if he wanted to go out drinking. The ex-salaryman explained his current task but then saw the scuba diving equipment that Dutch brought with him, surprising him since he had wanted to buy it earlier from Mr. Lun. Smiling, Dutch said that he saw Rock eyeing the equipment, advising Rock to talk with him whenever he wanted something. Unknown to Rock at that moment, Dutch had actually bought the equipment primarily so that the Lagoon Company could use it for a salvage job in the Indian Ocean.

Calm down, two men

In daytime, Rock was eating pizza on the couch when Dutch ordered him to run some errands with Revy. Hesitant due to his previous sour conversation with Revy on their last job, Rock asked why he had to go with Revy. Explaining that he had to do repairs on the PT boat while Benny had to work on electronic repairs, Dutch handed Rock a slip of paper with the job list and in turn asked Rock if there was a problem. The ex-salaryman reasoned that Revy would not want to go with him, but Dutch replied that he would just have to work out whatever problems they had with each other, ordering Rock to first speak with Rowan "Jackpot" Pigeons at his business on Rachada Street.

Bloodsport Fairy tale

The office building on a rainy day

On a rainy day, Rock answered a call to the office, hearing from Boris that he had to cancel Hotel Moscow's meeting with the Lagoon Company and would call in a few days to reschedule. Hanging up, Rock informed Dutch about the cancellation, and the tired Revy chimed in to state that the recent murders of Hotel Moscow members was likely the reason. Sitting on the couch opposite of Revy, Rock claimed that he had not heard of the murders since such a crime was not unusual in Roanapur. Revy agreed but asserted that killing Hotel Moscow's gangsters would cause panic, with Dutch adding that six Russians had been killed at that point. The next night, after the murders of Private First Class Sakharov and Corporal Menshov at the Caribbean Bar, the pirates reconvened at the office. Feeling uneasy about the rising tensions between the city's crime syndicates, Dutch declared that Balalaika was thinking of deploying the Vysotniki, surprising Revy but confusing Rock. Benny then recalled to Rock how Balalaika's group were ex-Soviet paratroopers who served in the Soviet-Afghan War and gained a colossal amount of combat experience.

As Dutch talked about the killers in a derogatory manner, the phone then rang, which Benny picked up and gave to Rock since it was Balalaika specifically requesting him. Learning that the murderers used phrases like "buona sera" and "soră mea," Rock deduced that they seemed to be Romance-language phrases, trying to recall what the European branch of his former company taught him. As Revy showed Benny a page from a magazine, Rock asked Revy to quiet down. At that moment, Rock was shocked to see the Dracula illustration on the magazine's cover, immediately telling Balalaika with certainty that the killers were Romanian. As the other pirates sat quietly and listened to Rock, Balalaika thanked him for his insight and promised to repay him later. The next day, when the killers, Hänsel and Gretel, began to massacre the Verrocchio Family, Eda called Revy at her office about the violence and rhetorically asked the latter if she was going to get in on the $50,000 bounty. Telling Eda to stop nagging her, Revy prepared her Sword Cutlass pistol and asked to where they would go. Once hearing from Eda that Joey had a room rented at Palcana Square, Revy tossed the phone to the confused Rock while Dutch sighed about the escalating violence and responses.

Goat, Jihad, Rock'N Roll

Mister Chang came to the Lagoon Company office after fleeing his bombed office after a bad deal with Hezbollah agents in the city. Dutch and Benny agreed to listen to his story, with Dutch ordering Rock to wake up Revy and bring her to the office due to the urgent situation. Once Rock and Revy entered and greeted them, Chang assured them that he had not spoken about his business yet. Commencing the meeting, Chang relayed Dutch that his men got intelligence documents from a Bulgarian spy relating to a Hezbollah terror plot and failed to negotiate with Hezbollah, so Chang decided that he would give the documents to the CIA instead. Chang elaborated that there would be five teams, including Lagoon Company, leaving Roanapur at the same time to split Hezbollah's forces, and only Dutch's team would have the real documents. Finishing his explanation, Chang told them that delivering the documents to the military base on Basilan Island had a deadline of two days, although they would have a getaway driver.

Dutch replied that two days was too short a time frame, so Chang assured him that he would pay for the Lagoon Company's weapon expenses as well. Hearing some commotion outside, Revy peered through the window and saw several Hezbollah fighters, including one with an RPG launcher. Acting quickly, Revy jumped away from the window and yelled about the RPG, which burst through the window and damaged the furniture. Unharmed, Chang pulled out his customized double pistols and offered to help the Lagoon Company escape, with Dutch then agreeing to take the job. Accordingly, Revy showed Chang the way out, and they killed the first sets of soldiers who attempted to raid the building. Revy froze upon seeing a grenade tossed at them, but Chang kicked it back and told Revy that hesitating would get her killed. As they provided cover for the other three pirates, Revy shot at a soldier above them, jokingly warning Chang to watch his back. Smiling, Chang in turn warned her not to get cocky and shot another soldier above them that Revy did not notice, making Revy admit that she was not on Chang's level yet. Very soon, a Hong Kong Triad car arrived outside the building to escort the Lagoon Company crew to their boat while Chang and the Triad members engaged with the remaining Hezbollah fighters. As the four pirates jumped off the railing to enter the car, Chang yelled the password to them so that they could identify themselves to the getaway driver.

Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise

Once Rock arrived in Japan with Revy for a Japanese-to-English translation job for Hotel Moscow, he called Benny at the office. While browsing the internet on his computer, Benny ate some chips and wished Rock a happy new year. He then teasingly reminded him that Revy traveled with him since she was worried about him, but Rock responded that he had to leave since Revy wanted to hurry. Some day later after an encounter with the Washimine Group enforcer Chaka, Rock called Benny again on Revy's behalf. When Benny learned that Revy wanted him to ship her Sword Cutlass pistols to Japan, Benny wondered if there was a storm brewing in Tokyo. Rock answered that he could not know at the time, then advising Benny to ship the guns via the Bougainvillea Trade Company and ending the call.

As Rock and Revy's job began to end, Benny returned to the office during escalating violence in Roanapur. Seeing Dutch sitting on the couch, Benny greeted him and declared that the Triad was trying their best to quell the violence due to Hotel Moscow's absence. As Benny got an alcoholic drink from the fridge, he told Dutch that he was glad that Rock was away since he was not fond of using guns. Putting down his newspaper, Dutch replied that they should be grateful that Rock did not use guns, claiming that Rock's bullets would ricochet back at them. Once Rock fulfilled his job, he called Dutch at the office from an airport payphone. Glad to hear from him, Dutch proclaimed that it had truly been a while and informed Rock that he needed his help for a job when he returned to Roanapur. Having a thought on his mind, Rock asked Dutch if he knew the person who said a quote about humans being like dice, which the latter correctly guessed as being written by Jean-Paul Sartre. Humbly asserting that he had quite the intellect, Dutch wondered why Rock asked, to which the ex-salaryman merely said that he wanted to clear something up.

El Baile de la muerte / Roberta's Blood Trail

When rumor spread that Roberta had returned to Roanapur, Dutch answered a call from Saensak asking about any "strange clients" that he had, which Dutch denied. Meanwhile, Benny was baffled that their office had been called again, and Rock likewise shared his curiosity since Isaac had called a day earlier with the same exact question. Revy returned to the office and relayed that Kowalski claimed to have seen Roberta at Sankan Palace Hotel. At that point, Bao called the Lagoon Company office. Dutch answered the phone, hearing an angry Bao demanding to know what Dutch knew. He told Bao to explain what happened, and Bao told Dutch that 30 minutes before calling, Roberta arrived at his bar while it was closed and asked him for a bottle of tequila. Completely scared of her, Bao gave her the entire bottle, which she drank quickly and then asked Bao for every shop that could help her wage a war.

The terrified bartender then directed her to some places and she left, with Bao remarking to Dutch that he would have wet his pants if not for his steel bladder. Dutch assured Bao that he had no information on Roberta's whereabouts or motivation in the city, adding that he promised to call back if he heard anything else. After the call, Dutch told Revy and Rock that he and Benny would meet them at the Yellow Flag later after asking his sources around town, so Revy and Rock went to the bar to talk to Bao. A day later after Rock agreed to help Garcia Lovelace and Fabiola Iglesias search for Roberta, Benny dropped off Rock at the office at night after their travel around town to ask questions resulted in nothing.

The Wired Red Wild Card

Sometime after Rock recently helped Garcia and Mister Chang, he and Benny played a game of throwing darts in the office. During the game, Rock remarked that he would never stick his nose into people's business again after the ordeal. Rock also told Benny that his rib was cracked after Fabiola vengefully shot a fake bullet at him, and Benny tried to comfort him by telling Rock that the people left the ordeal alive and that he did protect Mister Chang's interests. After Rock threw a dart right in the middle of the dartboard, Benny was shocked at the action. At that point, he received a phone call, agreeing with Rock that it was likely Jane. The next day, the four pirates began eating some pizza and drinking alcohol. Hearing from Benny that Jane's recently-hired hacker Feng Yifei was staying in a motel in the Chalquam market, Revy was surprised given the news there.

Talking with her mouth full, Revy excitingly told Rock and Benny about the incident where Ronnie the Jaws had four Australians murdered and left their corpses in that room where Feng was staying, laughing about the melted corpses to Rock's disgust. After her story, Dutch admitted that Feng had quite the tolerance since she could put up with such a horrid smell. Reminding them that the Lagoon Company was holding a recent shipment from Tamil gangsters for Ronnie at a container yard, Dutch ordered Revy and Rock to inform Ronnie about the shipment, so the two exited the office.

Much later, when all four assassins after Feng were murdered, Rock returned to the office with Benny, who himself returned to Roanapur after time off and a sour argument with his girlfriend Jane. As they played another game of darts, Benny told Rock about the fight as well as learning that Feng had a role in his Pontiac GTO's destruction. Remarking that it was the worst week for him, Benny nonchalantly told Rock that Feng was a curse on him and asked Rock why he helped her given his previous comment about no longer wanting to help people. Rock replied that Feng told him he should enjoy himself. Rock himself asked Benny if he liked the new car that they bought for him, to which Benny partially agreed but added that the Tempest lacked the elegance of his old Plymouth. Smiling at each other, the two joked back and forth about Rock's alleged heroism until deciding to go together to the Maplao market so that Rock could get something for Revy.

L'homme sombre

Eating some food with her comrades at the office, Revy told Rock, Dutch and Benny that Mister Chang advised her to inform them of the recent murders of Black men in Roanapur, specifically Black men of big and tall stature. Hearing that detail, Benny smiled and joked that Dutch certainly fit the description. Sarcastically concerned, Dutch asked who the target was, and Revy relayed that Chang did not know if the murderers were part of a racist group like the National Alliance or the KKK. Curious as usual, Rock asked her what she knew about the murderers, and she replied that she did not know much except the murderers mentioned a date to the survivor Jinx, with the ex-salaryman asking her what the date was. When she mentioned the specific date of September 18, 1989, Dutch's eyebrows raised but he kept his surprise hidden. Revy nonchalantly warned him to be on his guard, and Dutch stood up to her surprise and agreed.

In the computer room after doing some research, Rock talked to Benny and told him to look at the former's computer, showing that several warehouse deals for their company were recently canceled. Benny wondered if Dutch was responsible and stated that it was weird. Rock agreed and remarked that it did not make sense because the contracts were not up for renewal, and Revy popped in to ask what they were discussing. Rock then asked Revy if she knew about Dutch's recent cancellations, which she denied. Realizing that Dutch had not told anyone, Rock then showed both pirates the inventory of their warehouses, pointing out items that he did not recognize as Dutch's personal items, which were firearms purchased from the Rip-Off Church, Protect Arms, and from overseas. Unconcerned with the purchases, Revy responded that they should not peek into Dutch's business unless they were in danger. Rock agreed but clarified that he wanted to be absolutely certain first that he and the others were not in harm's way.

Where the Chips Fall

Le Majeur coping with her hangover.

When Balalaika opened a luxurious new casino on Yatchalaya Street, Le Majeur was ordered to serve as a bouncer for the opening night celebration. On that morning, Le Majeur sat her head down on the coffee table and grumbled that she did not want to go due to her continued sickness from her hangover. As Revy commented that Balalaika wanted Majeur to help lighten up the place, the ex-assassin again wanted an excuse to stay home, but Revy simply advised her to be herself and she would supposedly get lots of tips. Once again, Majeur complained about her job as a bouncer; the three nonetheless got dressed in formal evening wear and went to the casino.

El réquiem de los Desalmados

After visiting Balalaika's office and eating at a seafood place, Rock and Revy returned to the Lagoon Company office to relax. While Revy was cleaning her Sword Cutlass pistols, Dutch answered the office phone when it began to ring. Learning that Mister Chang wanted to speak with Rock, he handed the phone to the ex-salaryman. Rock listened to Chang tell him about the upcoming Council meeting. Being asked how he felt about attending the meeting as an observer, the pirate politely advised against it. He claimed that he would merely be a silent ornament since he was not a member of any huge organization. Smiling, Chang reminded Rock that he had poked his nose into a lot of Roanapur's affairs and stirred things up, assessing that he had earned the right to a position where he could view everything as well as Roanapur's future. Professing that he had not forgotten about Rock's words at Balalaika's casino, the Triad boss stated that a special matter at the next Council meeting was resolving the beef between Hotel Moscow and the Nuevo Laredo Cartel, admitting that Rock could be relied on to properly observe the situation and pretend to be a person of influence.