Random thought debris about pirates, treasure, and fundamental misunderstandings
The idea of buried pirate treasure belonging to a single captain is completely WILD. Pirate crews distributed treasure evenly (more or less) to everybody on the ship. The captain wasn't in charge except during battle, and was in an elected position - any suitable unpopular actions by the captain meant losing their position. The idea of a pirate captain having sufficient wealth, not sharing it with their crew, and then burying it and then *killing some of the crew so no one can tell where it is* is just flat-out laughable.
Because the ones secreting away wealth and killing sailors so nobody else can have their ill-gotten gold? Those aren't pirates.
Those are the rich people who own the merchant ships the pirates preyed on.
re: Random thought debris about pirates, treasure, and fundamental misunderstandings
The entire idea of "buried pirate treasure" appears to have been invented whole cloth by Robert Louis Stevenson, for Treasure Island. Damn if it isn't a compelling idea for an adventure story, but it really does have a certain mindset behind it, doesn't it.
re: Random thought debris about pirates, treasure, and fundamental misunderstandings
@douglasfur That makes sense!
re: Random thought debris about pirates, treasure, and fundamental misunderstandings
@Soreth i think he borrowed all or most of it from The Gold Bug, which was based on local tales that centered the treasure narrative on one important figure and forgot all the other players