On the subject of pirates, you could make it so that they only start appearing once you have a couple of chests. They come to steal your chests and you have to fend them off. If they were to use, say, a harpoon gun or a fishhook like yours to grab the chests, you could cut the ropes with your spear or the axe. You could protect the chests with walls - actually having a purpose for walls would be nice!