Why can piracy on the high seas be prosecuted by any country?

Piracy on the high seas can be prosecuted by any country because it is recognized under international law as an offense against the law of nations, subject to the principle of universal jurisdiction.12

Because acts of piracy occur on the high seas—outside the normal territorial jurisdiction of any state—they are considered crimes that affect the international community as a whole. Consequently, international law grants the public vessels of any state the authority to seize a pirate ship or aircraft, arrest the individuals on board, and bring them into port for trial and punishment, regardless of the nationality of the offenders or the victims. This long-standing legal framework ensures that pirates cannot escape justice by operating in areas where no single nation holds sovereign control.132