Actually, the pirates are easy to beat. Don't fight their fleets, just capture Antigua and Trinidad & Tobago. It's their 2 regions. Once those are gone, the pirates are gone. It seems as though they're just a normal faction.

Then again, it's fun to have pirates around!


Hmmm... which makes me think, if they're just a normal faction, they can be unlocked with a few modding tricks... and then we can make A PIRATE EMPIRE!!!