There’s a noose that hangs at the entrance to the city. It’s a message to be read by all who encounter it. For the cautious, the sane, it’s a warning. For the reckless, the wild at heart, an invitation they cannot refuse. The worst of the criminal underworld gather here. They come here from across the world to butt heads and jostle for power. An evil city caught between the east and the west founded during the Cold War and nurtured by many who came here to ride the wave of the illegal drug trade sweeping across the continent. The edge of the world, the crucible of hypocrisy, a place where those whose souls have been destroyed in the relentless search for money and power reside. A final stop on the way to hell. How have I managed to stay alive this long? With the help of three people: Dutch, Revy and Benny. Also known as the Lagoon Company. The name of this city is spoken of among the villains of the world. Many who come here to make a name for themselves are swallowed by the darkness, never to return. A cruel fate awaits any half-assed small time crook who accidentally stumbles into Roanapur. Right now anotherSacrificial Lamb has wandered too far from home. The city awaits.
Eda: So what? God's not in today. He's on vacation in Vegas, all right?
Revy: Hm...so that's how you see it, huh? All right... Hell, I can't think of any better place for a little story that you ought to hear. I'll share a little secret with you, Rock. Question time. What are these two objects? Rock: ...A medal...and a skull... Revy: Wrong. They're both things, Rock. When you get down to it, that's all they are. Just things. So how do you measure a thing's worth? Nostalgia and memories don't mean shit. Value is determined by a universally accepted unit. Money. Any other measures of value ain't nothing more than sentimental bullshit. Rock: So money is...God? Revy: No, it's power. And it's way the fuck more useful. Rock... So tell me...what's more important than money? God? Love? Don't make me laugh. Back when I was a snot-nosed kid crawling through the gutter, for some strange reason, God and Love always seemed to be sold out and out of reach. Since I was too small to figure out how things worked, I wasted my time crying and asking God for help that'd never come. Of course, that stopped after the night some cops ganged up on me, and I almost got killed for a crime I didn't commit. Their only reason was that I was living in the slums. What's a little Chink bitch with no power and no God gonna turn to? Money and guns -- that's what. When you've got both, it's smooth sailing. Rock: I'm sorry I brought this up... Look, I --
Revy:Shut it. If I wanted sympathy, I would've spiced things up more. I'm sayin' you gotta know what it all boils down to in life's meat-grinder. Rock, in real life, no one gets off doin' it in the missionary position. And another thing...I don't need you to give me the same bullshit as those goddamned hypocrites. Rich fucks living on palm-tree lined streets and dizzy blondes who think their purpose in life is to paint themselves pretty. The last thing I need is for my friends and people I work with to start treatin' me like some whore. So, you start mouthin' off about doin' things in the nice and proper missionary position, then you're no longer on my side. And that's when I take out my gun...and kill you.
—from Black Lagoon Volume 02, Die Rückkehr Des Adlers Part II
Rock: What is this? Am I in a movie?
Revy: Don't be stupid. This is more entertaining than Hollywood is ever gonna be!
