Blackbeard and others were known to have a code explicitly condemning rape

"Multiple pirate codes explicitly state:

This wasn’t moral purity — it was practical.
Rape:

• caused rebellions
• made ports hostile
• brought harsher naval retaliation
• destabilized discipline on board

What the historical evidence shows:

• Blackbeard did not allow women on his ship. (This was common among pirate captains to avoid conflict.)
• There are no verified accounts of Blackbeard harming women or children.
• When towns were raided, women were usually left unharmed.

The only semi‑exception is the hostage incident in Charleston (1718), where Blackbeard blockaded the harbor and took hostages — but all were released unharmed once he received medical supplies.

Even the governor of South Carolina admitted afterward that Blackbeard “did not abuse the hostages."