Well, he didn't exactly get mad, he laughed because the pirates didn't know how persecuted he was in Rome and how much money they could get from him. It was actually a tactic
Death was never a likelihood. They were in it for the money, not to kill a war hero/senator/nephew of the Dictator.
And this was before he was in massive financial trouble all the time. He was a senator by virtue of being a war hero, but as he was far below the age where he'd start on the cursus honorum (basically elected magistracies) his finances weren't as terrible as they'd become later.
You can say what you like, but the fact is he made it even less likely than what it was. You can call it arrogance if you like but it was intelligence. I'd like to see anyone else not only survive the fiercest pirates that existed unharmed, but scare them enough into listening to their poetry and keeping quiet while he slept. He was intelligent in his tactics.
And this was before he was in massive financial trouble all the time. He was a senator by virtue of being a war hero, but as he was far below the age where he'd start on the cursus honorum (basically elected magistracies) his finances weren't as terrible as they'd become later.