While their actions were brutal and often inexcusable, their internal logic—their "Will"—was surprisingly civil. It was a will to survive, a will for fairness in an unfair world, and a will to be the masters of their own destiny.
"He that shall lose a limb in any engagement shall have eight hundred dollars out of the public stock, and for lesser hurts proportionately." will pirates
This flat hierarchy meant that a successful heist benefited everyone. It was a crude form of wealth redistribution that incentivized the entire crew to work together. The "Will" here was one of brotherhood; they recognized that a rich captain and a poor crew invited mutiny, while a moderately rich crew invited loyalty. While their actions were brutal and often inexcusable,
The most important, yet often overlooked, feature of pirate governance was the role of the Quartermaster. If the Captain was the sword, the Quartermaster was the conscience. It was a crude form of wealth redistribution