Question: is akainu stronger than whitebeard?
Answer: An 'optional' reason is that Akainu never showed his devil fruit awakening during the MF arc, therefore, he is 'stronger' as he “held-back” from his real powers. ... Akainu fought 'equally' against Whitebeard during their clashes. He 'lost' to Whitebeard because Whitebeard sneaked up on him.