Personally I really don't feel like the advance pets system in wizard fits well into pirates as our main companions are well...our companions. so.......

Maybe a Rouges Gallery instead? It could be an interactive board in Avery's office with posters of pirates. We would get to look through the posters of pirates looking for work, their stats and epics, where to go to hire them, and their rates.
Example: Dead-eye Jake, Rat Musketeer, 'skills' {insert stat and epic info here}, find me in a house near blide mew in scrimshaw, fare 2000 gold for a week of service.

Basically a rent a companion service. More companion options, gives an advantage in pve (they should be no pvp), and it just sounds far more piratey .