I've read the official volumes, so it's weird to see Ikki's nickname translated as "heavy face" instead of "babyface." >_>
@nightvolt
Well, that could have happened, but it's not necessarily what happened. It could have been that the guys were just threatening them. I suppose the reader is left to imagine what went down, and it's up to the reader how bad they imagine things happening.
@The_H_Guy
If they didn't show it happening, and no one said that was what happened, then the reader is free to draw their own conclusions. If that's what you want to believe happened, then fine. I don't think that's what happened, although I do admit it's a possibility.
It's like if a guy walked offscreen and then there was a scream sound effect, and someone onscreen said "how horrible..." It could have been that the guy died, or maybe he killed someone else, or maybe he broke a limb, whatever. If it's not clear what happened, then I don't see the need to say "this totally happened."
@KelpTheGreat
Just see what kind of characters they are, especially their leader. A couple of chapters later they are even seen starting a some kind of prostitution ring with girls that were not really getting along with it. Then he rape-punish explicitly the owner of a club that was trying to force him to pay his bills. The brother of that girl called Chako is seen later crying saying "it was her first time".
Considering characters and situation to think a bunch of guys that are all notoriuos criminals feared even by the police, gathered all the spoil of war girls in a isolated place just to flick their foreheads and show them the cobra twist, is total denial of reality.
@The_H_Guy
Well, that definitely does shed new light on the situation. I had only just read the first chapter (as part of a planned re-read after many years) when I wrote that comment, and I hadn't yet read to the later chapters. With the information in the later chapters, I'm more inclined to agree with your interpretation.
This sure is darker than the anime first episode ...
Good thing that I decided to not just read the chapters after the adaptation and to read everything from the start.