The Ring is the twenty-eighth chapter of the Black Lagoon spinoff series Dismemberment Galore! The Gore Gore Girl. It was originally released on December 18, 2021.
Plot[]
Walking in public, Choptop is greeted by an old woman with glasses driving near, telling the punk that he is her type. Replying to her that he is already settled, the old woman calmly laughs and drives away. Hearing another elderly voice calling for the "young man," Choptop turns around to see a frail old woman with an umbrella strolling a small cart, asking the punk if he would like to join her for tea. Smiling awkwardly, Choptop politely rejects the woman and goes to the Roanapur Public Cemetery to talk to Sawyer the Cleaner and Bunny the Undertaker, both who use the coffin that Choptop had salvaged as a table. Telling them his dilemma, he rests his head on his arm and recalls how two people were flirted with by an old woman and disappeared, wondering if there is some kind of curse.
Pointing to Choptop and looking at Sawyer, Bunny joyfully asks her who he is and if she can bury him. When The Undertaker No. 2 offers Choptop some tea, he smiles at her and compliments her breasts, quickly switching his sights to his topic of interest. Placing the square box on the table, he reminds them that the coffin was recently salvaged and he still has to bury the coffin and its skeleton in the cemetery per his mysterious client's request. Asking the women about the locked box, he recalls how the pirates that attacked the boat must have really wanted the treasure, angrily asking where the key could be. As Choptop facepalms in disappointment, Sawyer takes off her key earring and decides to insert it into the box's keyhole, finding out that it matches.
Now completely interested, Choptop repeatedly asks Sawyer what is inside as Bunny looks while Sawyer slowly lifts the box's lid. Only seeing a ring case and a folded piece of cloth stuck next to it, Choptop takes out the cloth, noting that it is made out of skin. Seeing numbers and alphabets, he recognizes the writing as a cipher. As Bunny thinks she recognizes something, several men suddenly appear and point their guns from behind Choptop, telling them to hand over the treasure. Sarcastically telling Sawyer's group not to worry, a short-haired man tells them that they were hired by the same client and will let them keep the hard-won coffin to bury, clarifying that they will take the box. To their surprise, another group of gunmen appear behind the women, and their shaggy-haired leader threatens them to give up the box or be disappeared.
In frustration, Choptop asks them if they are affiliated with the pirates, but he immediately realizes that both groups are at odds with each other. When the long-haired leader remarks that he will end things quickly, both groups of gunmen begin shooting at each other, causing the four cemetery attendees to duck near the coffin. As Choptop grabs the box and advises Sawyer to run away, a dark-haired gunman from the short-haired man's group points his weapon at the punk, telling him he will not escape. To his fortune, Sawyer and Bunny come to his aid as the former thrusts her chainsaw into the man's chest while Bunny decapitates him with her shovel, killing him. Watching the two women fight, Choptop and No. 2 enthusiastically cheer them on. Although the two women manage to kill most of one group of men, one man suddenly puts his gun to the back of Sawyer's head, sarcastically bidding her goodbye.
Out of nowhere, the man quickly has his head decapitated by a wire before he can even think. Revealing herself, Jessica chimes in to everyone that she wants a cup of tea, commenting that she wants to join the big party. Flashing a sadistic smile, Jessica remarks that the real hell will begin, shocking Choptop and No. 2 but not fazing Sawyer and Bunny. Preparing to kill, Sawyer holds up her chainsaw while Jessica holds up a knife. Choptop comments that they should run away since they have already killed enough men from one group, but the two women cut up a nearby gunman. Immediately after, Jessica curiously asks Sawyer if she knows the men, but Sawyer only tilts her head in uncertainty. Having recognized the cipher before the men arrived, Bunny tells Sawyer that the symbols match a lot and number in the cemetery. Elaborating, she states that the lot is where a splendid tomb has resided for a long time but has no one inside.
Surprised, Choptop asks about the coffin that he salvaged, and Bunny clarifies that the skeleton inside is supposed to be buried in the splendid tomb. As the remaining men continue to shoot at each other, the punk also tells them that even if a jewel is inside the ring case, their enemies' efforts seem like overkill. Feeling two guns pressed to his head, Choptop sweats and turns his head to see the two elders who spoke to him earlier that day. Yelling to the men, the elderly women tell them that they can go home now, criticizing them as useless. As the elders grin at each other, they banter with each other and turn their guns on one another. Grinning curiously, Choptop asks them to tell him what is buried in the cemetery. When the glasses woman asks him if he truly wants to know, Balalaika instantly appears with other Hotel Moscow members, calmly telling the ladies that they can stop bickering and that the goods belong to Hotel Moscow.
Greeting the Russian leader, the old women lower their guns and smile, remarking that they do not care anyway. As Choptop's jaw drops in fear upon seeing Balalaika, she holds out her hand and sternly orders the punk to hand over the box, which he does so fearfully. Balalaika reminds the two women that the ring was supposed to be given to one of them by a man who had infatuation with them both, and they confirm that they want to settle their quarrel over it before going to the other world. Chuckling, Balalaika opens the ring case to show that there is no ring inside, surprising them. Clarifying the background, Balalaika tells them that there was no ring inside from the very beginning, adding that the man could not choose between the two women and decided to instead send himself to the bottom of the sea with the box. The two old women look down for a second and then begin to laugh heartily, agreeing with each other that they are idiots.
Balalaika offers to take them out for a drink, and the women agree, remarking that it has been 60 years since they shared a drink together. As the three women walk away together, Balalaika casually tells Sawyer's group that she will cover their bill to clean up and bury the corpses from the two-sided massacre. Getting up after crouching, the nervous Choptop asks Sawyer, Jessica and Bunny if his fee will be covered too. Much later, tending to the cemetery by herself, Bunny feels something against her boot and sees the elegant key on the ground. Picking it up and examining it, she sees a dark, ghostly figure peering from behind a tomb in the distance. Tilting her head, Bunny asks the apparition what they want to say. Looking at the key again, Bunny walks away and tosses the key over her shoulder, remarking that she is busy with work.
Notes[]
- The chapter title is a reference to and a play on the Japanese horror media franchise The Ring.
- This chapter marks the fifth and last Gore Gore Girl chapter where Sawyer wears the key earring.