No worries, we don't mind helping everynow and then
The pilot volume is between the piston and the pilot valve. The pilot valve in this case is that 1/2" ball valve you have. Anything on the left side of that ball valve doesn't matter as long as it can allow air to escape in to the atmosphere.
Just remember that the faster you can get the air pressure in the pilot volume out in to the atmosphere, the faster your valve will open. Ways to do this are; you need to minimize the pilot volume and maximize the pilot valve. Or you can do one or the other, big pilot valve means you can have a big pilot volume. Small piot volume means you can have a smaller pilot valve.
Just build your cannon how you think is right, and then if you have troubles with the piston later we can sort that out.