Pirate codes, or articles of agreement, were strict rules that kept order aboard pirate ships, ensuring survival in a dangerous and often chaotic world. Crews swore oaths to follow them, and the codes outlined everything from dividing loot fairly, such as Captain Bartholomew Roberts giving each sailor one share while officers received two, to compensating injuries with payments of hundreds of pieces of eight. They also banned theft, limited gambling and drunkenness, and specifically prohibited w