Npc Merchant ships!

@his-majesty1522 lot's of negative Nancies said no to this idea in the past because at one time Rare said they only wanted player ships on the seas however they added skeleton ships years ago and now there are also phantom vessels.

Some people have speculated at the Grand Maritime Union (the sea of thieves equivalent of the East India Company)'s arrival into the sea of thieves would also bring in a new NPC/PvE ship and I wouldn't be against such an idea myself.
It's said the NPC's of the Pirate Emporiums in fact work for the GMU so perhaps players buying cosmetics with them are in fact funding the enemy of SoT. In future I hope we see fleets of GMU ships come barreling out of the shroud ready to attack the SoT and players must head out to face them before they reach certain destinations, if they dont, the GMU take over a nearby fortress and turn them into a base of operations.