Yes...
Anyway swordplay is important and if with your pirate character with high swodplay you duel with a merchant of low swordplay you got the upperhand by some little advantage.
About outclass by waepons, most of AI commodores got weapons of A/B level and sometimes C. You start with no wepons or B sword and no armor so first you need to level weaponary. If you can buy superweapons you will outclass them and defeat like a piece of cake.
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2nd placed of 1st Ufo2000 Tournament! 
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