KLONDIKE, CPA Headquarters- The historically infamous Pirates of Club Penguin have officially announced their return to the community, boasting an entirely new leadership.

The Pirates were formed by Bid Now in the early days of armies, dating back to the Spring of 2007.  The swashbuckling army has had a tumultuous history since then, spanning multiple generations of varied highs and lows.  While the Pirates were always a respectable army in the Disney-era of Club Penguin, they rose to unmatched heights in the CPPS-era of Club Penguin after Epic101 revived the army and localized them on Club Penguin Online.

The first CPPS-era Pirates event, August 2nd, 2018.

The Pirates are no strangers to the spotlight; their years in the CPPS-era community have been polarizing.  While racking up tournament wins, record high sizes, and war victories, the army has also been accused of cheating, multilogging, and hosting a toxic environment.  Their meteoric rise in 2018, where they won Biggest Army and Christmas Chaos 2018, is matched by their dramatic crumbling in 2020 after a multilogging scandal in the historic Legends Cup X.  Through it all, Epic101 commanded the Pirates to their undeniable prominence until the very end.

The Pirates battling the Help Force in the controversial Summer Bash final on September 8th, 2019.

This generation for the Pirates marks the first time that Epic101 will not be at the helm since 2015.  Nevertheless, he was given the honors of announcing the official return of the Pirates:

It has been nearly a year since we officially shut down and after some time debating whether or not this was a good idea, I have decided to allow for the return of the Pirate Army in 2021 for one final run.

I was approached by a few of the former Pirates Staff members who stuck with the army right to the end and some who continued to partake in armies after the Pirates closed a matter of months ago and they seem passionate enough about this project and I feel they could be successful with this new era if they put the work in.

[…]

Finally, I would like to wish Flav, Romeo and Frostty the very best of luck as the Captains of this new Pirate Era. I hope that in this dark age of armies you can make something successful and worth while.

Please also understand that when this generation ends, it will be the end of the Army on a permanent basis.

-Epic101

 

All three of the new leaders were members of the Pirates up until their closure on the 16th of June.  When the army closed, the trio fragmented into the community.  Flav found a new home with the Ice Warriors, where he became leader of the proxy army known (at the time) as the Coup Crusaders.  He then was chosen to lead the revival of the Water Ninjas, another proxy of IW.  Romeo was involved in drama pertaining to the Pirates and an army known as The Black Order.  Frostty went on to become a leader of the Fighter Pilots, where he helped them become a consistent name in the S/M army community.  In the end, each former Pirate waned in activity as the year went on, all citing their disinterest in armies after the closure of the Pirates.

I have been thinking about retirement for many months ever since Pirates shut. But I gave a chance and now starting school the time isn’t there anymore to stay up till 3AM helping armies/army leagues out.

-Flav from an interview, circa September 16th, 2020

The Fighter Pilots, under the leadership of Frostty, battle the Coup Crusaders on July 15th, 2020.

CPAHQ reached out to Flav in an exclusive interview to get a broader scope of why the Pirates have returned to the community.

With how much the community has changed since the Pirates were last around, do you think your leadership trio will be able to bring the army back to major status?

We are confident, I am sure we will give a good shot and no one can predict the success of this generation. However, in our eyes it’s all about having fun. If we gain major status or not, it won’t make much difference to us. The three of us have experience of leading. Romeo previously lead the successful generation of the Pirates. Frostty had lead the Fighter Pilots and I had lead the Coup Crusaders (and Water Ninjas for a short period), both armies sought great success under our leadership. I don’t think the Pirates will ever be as big as we used to be, since looking at the current state of the entire Club Penguin Army community, no army will be hitting a max of over the 100s consistently or even once for a very long time.

What is the general outlook for the Pirates? Are you guys aiming to become a dominant army? Or are you more interested in fostering a community within the army?

We aren’t really concentrating on the future. We will face anything that comes head on. Sure the Pirates were a very dominant army but that was back when the community was in a good place, a golden age for armies. I don’t think any army is going to be seen as a “dominant” army during these days. For now, we will remain as a small army.

What can we expect from the leadership of yourself, Romeo, and Frostty?

I am very aware that the last generation ended on a bad mark. However, you cannot expect the repeat. I, Romeo and Frostty will do our best to lead the Pirates successfully and be seen as one of the best. We are here for fun and we respect other armies, allies and enemies.

Do the Pirates have any plans to set up an alliance with other armies?

At this moment? No. We’re more focused on building the army up before we go round to other armies. Sure we would love to rebuild our old allegiances back but not at this current moment.

Is there anything you want to add?

I know that there are some wanting to know why we returned so here you go. I had been talking to some pirates who had really just given up and they all had said the same thing, “No army has felt the same as Pirates” and I agree. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Ice Warriors, Coup Crusaders etc. But the Pirates was my first army and there was a clear impact made by the previous generation not just to me, but so many other pirates. I talked to the boys and we decided it was time for the glorious return, for one last push. Our goal this generation is to have fun.

Also, we recognise that Pirates have made their way to other armies during this past year which is absolutely fine. Some have fallen inactive on the Pirates discord. The Pirates is back. To the people inactive on the discord with no current army, come back and have some fun. To the people involved in other armies, that is down to you we won’t nag you to come back. Nevertheless, you are all welcome anytime.

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The trifecta of Pirate captains face the momentous task of bringing the army back to major status.  In the time that the army has been closed, the community has changed drastically.  Only time can tell if the Pirates will stay afloat, or get swept away by the currents of their new domain.  The first event of the new generation will take place on the 1st of May, 2021.

What do you think?  Will the Pirates challenge the major armies in the community?  How will the Pirates foreign relations turn out?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

DMT

CPA Headquarters Reporter-in-Training-in-Training-in-Training-in-Training-in-Training

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