They resist arrest

For a few moments there is a confused silence. The pirates, lacking any apparent hierarchy, exchange looks at one another, unsure of what to do. Suddenly, a lone pirate draws his pistol and fires a wild shot at your formation. It goes wide, but it's enough for both sides to settle on a course of action. Just about every man draws blade or gun, and chaos ensues. Most of the pirates charge wildly into the melee with throaty roars of valor. They scramble across the sand raggedly, but many are cut down despite their valor. Your men have been trained, if below par, to work in pairs and formations, and the lone stragglers have no chance against them. Those on the ships and gangplanks struggle to join their brethren on the beach, some just tossing the cargo they were carrying, others trying to navigate the obstacle course of boxes in their way.

You fire off a shot with your pistol, taking careful aim at a man on one of the ships with a musket. A sniper like that could be deadly against your small team, picking them off as they defend themselves. Fortunately, you hit, and he falls over the side of the boat into the shallow waters. You join the main fight soon after, thrusting your blade alongside your companions. Your men are making short work of the pirates, only taking a few casualties themselves. At one point you come face-to-face with a young pirate, who looks to be no more than a boy. He is short and thin, barely filling out his raggedy clothes, and despite the fire in his eyes and blade in his hand you can't help but take pity. After expertly deflecting his wild, amateurish slashes you smack your pommel against his head, knocking him out.

With that done, you go back to the last remaining pirates. A few have only thrown down their weapons in surrender, and the few left fighting slowly see their defeat as inevitable. In a few moments the fight is done. While the whole affair couldn't have been more than 10 minutes, it feels like hours have gone past. You chain your prisoners, tend to your wounded, and make arrangements for the two dead in your patrol. Santiago will want to know of your progress as soon as possible.