Just because it’s a sloop, doesn’t mean they aren’t a threat, nor does it rid of reason to attack said “Tiny Boat” based on it’s size.
All the more reason as to why you SHOULD attack small ships, is because you are more likely to find gold hoards on small vessels rather than Galleons- due to the fact smaller ships have less of an... distraction Vs. a galleon with a crew who are all having fun and may not be necessarily doing a whole lot.
This... is why I attack small ships...
It took me about an hour and a half, 3 dives into a few shipwrecks, and only 3 voyages. A majority of these Chests I found through island exploration. Not a single fight was fought, and nothing I’ve gained was through theft. I was off, just minding my own business; grinding gold-hunting. I successfully turned my load in- and after calculation I came out with 4,179 gold- on top of the 1,200+ I already had.
So yeah, sorry but if I saw someone doing what I did, I’d “grief” the bloody hell out of you.