Nexon broke pirate ranks

I see the event description + official rules but I still see no where that it states it had to be created after the patch date.

All it says is [paraphrased] "Be the highest level pirate within the contest period". That doesn't mean you have to start inside the contest period. It just means you have to be the #1 pirate within that time frame, or to put it another way "Be the #1 pirate during that time frame, and be the #1 pirate when the time frame ends" If you get passed the day after, you still win.

Unless I'm overlooking something, that's my interpretation.

It says "During the Contest Period, you may enter the Contest and become an Entrant ("Entrant") by creating a Pirate job character in MapleStory and becoming the highest leveled Pirate character in of all the servers."

I think its taken as you have to create the character within the contest period. But who knows, maybe its only referring to having it become a pirate within the Contest Period, which would mean everyone is eligible.