Just to add to the haki discussion:
I was also under the impression that Aokiji actually avoided White Beard's blow by forming himself around the partisan, instead of actually being impaled.
You can see Aokiji take damage from a haki attack by Jozu earlier on, and you might notice the damage dealt from the attack isn't necessarily where the attack took place. I think Akainu took damage from Marco and Vista's attack, but not necessarily where the "slices" were.
Also, a few posts made it seem like people thought Akainu was able to hurt Ace because of Haki, but that's not the case at all. It's simply the hierarchy of the devil fruit. "Magma burns fire" so Ace gets burned by Akainu. It's the interaction between fruit, much like how Luffy, a rubber man, didn't take any damage from Enel's lightning attacks.
) than another person's, thus leading to a few different explanations on things. Akainu's beliefs tie into his willpower and due to the intensity he takes this to, it outdoes Ace's since he isn't necessarily as powerful outright, even if he has comparable will.
the fight still ended up being amazing and they fleshed it out instead of just having it 3 hits.
