Beware of the cap though. Without Mythril Powder or Slate of Ancients, you’ll never get past +3 unless you’re very (^10) lucky. Mythril and Slate is hard to come by in the game so I recommend buying MapleStory Mesos for AP if you’re going to get it anywhere.
Unsealing items is also a very useful process. When you find armor that has CAPABILITY OF SEAL on it, do not throw it or break it! This is very special. With a bronze, Silver or gold key and a seal pearl of the right grade, you can add a bunch of cool effects to your items.
Unseal stuff with the bartender and watch the monsters cower at your might! Other players may want to cower as well because this makes some pretty strong weaponry. Doing this will increase the Player Market (Players selling stuff they don’t want) value.
If you want to get ahead on the ocean I recommend you start attacking and leveling as soon as possible. That way you can get to Magnel quicker on your upgraded ship!
At level 15 you can relax and enjoy destroying the Pirates of Blood Sea in style. You get a three-masted ship then so keep up the work until then. People will envy you, be assured.