Muertos Moon glitch or not?

[Admiral Finch]

I highly doubt the credibility of this story unless it was a major glitch or bug that pirates didn't fix almost immediately. But it is most likely not true. When a pirate hits shift to get to the public boats it says something like "Jolly Roger Commands you to attack the island" and will not let you even launch your own ship. So the answer is most likely no and that he was just pulling your leg.