McDonald had gone up to get the monkey's ready on the deck as well, that grin never leaving his face. The rush of the battle, the smell of the ignited black powder, it was scientifically beautiful. He was ordering around some more of the lousy monkeys when he heard a voice roaring over the constant noise of the hustle. MR. McDONALD! Marco turned to see Johnny, and let his grin fall to a small smirk. He didn't want his quartermaster thinking he was mentally unstable now, and get kicked off the ship. That wouldn't be good for his ego, his pride or his wallet.
Mr. Mcdonald. I need you to immobilize that ship, not destroyit. That;s a pirate vessel, meaning there chests are weighted. If the ship goes down, so does anything of value. I know it's difficult, but according to you, you're the best. Marco gave a little sigh of annoyance. More regulations that were in place to keep him from having fun. He could understand the reasons for just wanting to immobalize the ship: All that gold could really help out with new supplies and status. That didn't change the fact that he couldn't destroy the damned thing. But he nodded and received the order, and smiled a little when he mentioned how it was according to him that he was the best. Most pirates that self proclaimed themselves usually sucked horribly, and were bluffing. Marco didn't understand the term bluff.
"So, are your ready to impress me, Mr. McDonald?" Marco matched Johnny's smile in every way. "Always, Mr. Flintlock. Always." He turned back to the one cannon and shoved every man off it to do it himself. Knowing exactly what he was doing, he got the monkeys he just shooed away to measure out enough gunpowder and get him a cannonball. He would only need one. He then prepped the cannon while the get ever closer to the Duchess, and Marco smiled. He aimed his cannon directly at the mast, calculating wind speeds, ship speeds, and a bunch of other factors as he went. He then heard Val roar about how as soon as the cannons go off, they would board. Marco gave a smirk, turned to the rest of the cannoneers and bellowed out his own command.
"Cannons! Aim for the sails! Your accuracy will be recorded by your fellow peers, and I will know if you are lying. You do not have to hit the mast, only try. And..." He waited until the exact right moment, and lowered his spark stick to light the cannon. It was quiet except for the growing amount of hissing, and then a massive BANG! from Marco's cannon started off a chain. True to his word, the shot went right through the largest mast, and it started to crumple under its own weight. He gave a little smirk, and said quietly enough for not many to hear.
"First shot on the Duchess? Better than expected."