Quick question-getting rid of a navy on map

[Cheexsta]

Pompey would have been before the Empire, though. But yes, it is quite historical to have tons of pirates in the Mediterranean, and quite realistic at that. Hell, even Caesar ran into some Pirate problems before he became dictator, being held captive by said pirates, only to pay the ransom (and mocking them all the while) and come back later to destroy them. You have to plan your sailing routes carefully if you have a small fleet; try port-hopping, that way the pirates can't attack you.

Alternatively, you could just use the auto_win defender cheat. Since it's a pirate fleet, it should be in "fight to the death" mode, where the entire enemy fleet will be destroyed if you win. It is quite entertaining to see a single bireme take on a whole enemy fleet and destroy them all...