Among your first tasks in Oxbay is to get a new spyglass since the one you have is completely jacked and barely works. This introduction to your inventory system will also compel you to hook up new weapons for yourself as well. Street merchants and stores are your best bets for wheeling and dealing with personal items and you'll find prices vary from merchant to merchant and island to island. The sword you start off with, you quickly learn, is a joke among serious sea captains and so you'll want to get something, anything better as quickly as possible even though there are very few melee confrontations early on in PotC. Healing potions of different potency and a crappy single shot, slow-reloading pistol round out your complement of gear. We haven't upgraded the pistol just yet, but getting the new sword, spyglass and some potions cost money and the only way to get paid in Oxbay is to pilfer. Walking around the village some townsfolk leave their doors opens and after a little trial and error you'll find an empty house or two with a locker full of something you can use. Jacking rings, precious stones and health is just part of the process for a wicked pirate in training like yourself. Sell that loot to a merchant and just like that you've got the scratch you need to get some cool gear.