This is a pirate strat I saw a person talk about and I've used it for each of my Pirate games and it almost never fails to work.
Step 1. Pick a target
Step 2. Before the day has ended but just when it's almost night, whisper to your target, "Hint: Go left"
Step 3. Pick Rapier
Most of the time they will Chainmail, but I had a few Backpedal before. Almost no one ever picks side-step.
This has worked for me almost every time I did it and it's a really nice strategy for getting the kill.