My friend is a privateer who started the game near its beginning. He progressed further than I did before all the major updates. When I asked him where he got Froggo Villa, he said he had gotten it for free from a side quest. I think it's unfair that a fellow privateer gets a companions for free while after the updates, future privateers cannot get those same companions and have to buy them.

I've gotten through Cool Ranch on my Swashbuckler and I received Froggo Villa from a quest, but I'm not aware of any Privateers that have gotten Froggo Villa except through the crowns shop.