Edward Kenway is originally a privateer in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. A privateer was a privately owned ship operator authorized by a government to attack enemy vessels during wartime.
Edward begins the story as a Welsh sailor seeking wealth and adventure. After taking the identity of an Assassin, he becomes entangled in a conflict involving the Assassins, the Templars, and powerful pirates in the Caribbean. His early privateering experience helps explain his familiarity with naval combat and maritime travel.
Privateers are often casually called pirates, but the terms are not identical. A privateer operated under a government commission, while piracy was unauthorized. Edward's career later moves through piracy, and Black Flag deliberately explores the overlap and tension between those worlds.
The game is set during the early eighteenth-century Golden Age of Piracy. Edward encounters historical figures including Blackbeard, Benjamin Hornigold, Mary Read, and Anne Bonny before gradually reconsidering his pursuit of personal profit.