Here's the life cycle of a dark pirate
Born on land
Raised and run around being kids
Teenage years come and parents start explaining life paths
Sea of adventure or stability on land
Kids would be very used to both by now
Occasionally helping fish from boats and in shallows
Build/repair ships
Etc
If they choose the adventure of the sea they need to find a ship to join
You need a captains invite to join and there are three ways to get one
Be buddies with a captain and get in easy Pass the tests the crew puts forth Have someone on the crew vouch for you
Most of the time parents do vouch for their kids. It's not uncommon to see entire families on a single ship, from great grandparents to their great grand children
Tests are developed by the crew and unanimously agreed upon
Some are rigorous and test practical skills
Others are focused around personality and quick thinking
A select few are trivial or focused around partying
Because their captains are far more free And incur such high casualty rates they can't afford to be picky
There are a handful of rituals done around this time that mark the passage to adulthood. They are great excuses to throw the private equivalent of "meme grade bangers"
These rituals serve another purpose, they test for latent magical ability and affinity
More on that later
After getting on a ship the pirates will typically strike out on their own and do whatever they want
Trade, smuggle, hunt sea monsters, chase merchants, fight the navies of the world etcWhile on board all pirates are equal
Each one gets a single vote, simple majority wins
Votes are called to decide almost all matters
There are only 3 positions with any degree of authority Captain - for battle and negotiations Doctor - for saving people's lives Quartermaster - for making sure no one does of starvation or thirst
Advancement in society holds these three posts as coveted. They are filled by elections normally and by dedicated successors in emergency situations.
So if you want to land a hot dark pirate waifu or husband's there are three things you can do to get their attention

Have a massive amount of stuff below decks gold and treasure you lewd baka Obtain one of the previously mentioned positions Or impress them via battle/feat of skill


Sea scouts are often invited by captains directly upon graduation, but there is another path for them. They can join the sea weed collectors
Seriously Adventurer? You think they take their magic users and have them collect weeds? Why would they do that? They're icky and slimey? ..... Thata actually a good point
I'm afraid it's not right though
The sea weed collectors are the weird combination of pirate intelligence and diplomatic offices