Does anyone know the date we get pirates?`

Showa EQ does not give EXP, that is true. Also, to get to level 20 from like level 10, you would need a few thousand ETC, I believe. I'll come back with a much more exact number though in a few minutes.

Edit: My quick math came to ~18,555 ETC items for 11 to 21, so to get to 20, you would need about 14,000 ETC items. At least this is what my math is coming out to.