Pretty much all of the jobs during pirates&#x27; heyday were dangerous, at least those available to the lower classes. Piracy was immensely profitable and comparatively safe for years until the Royal Navy clamped down heavily with summary execution being the usual punishment for captured pirates.<p>Basically, they had the same advantages as pirates near Somalia and Indonesia have today - very few military ships, and merchants are unwilling to fight because it risks the entire crew being massacred.