This bare branch forks off from the main trunk, which is hard to see in the pictures.

Immediately above the point where the leaf attaches is a crotch called the leaf axil. There is a row of dormant buds in that axil. The growing tip of the branch produces most of a growth regulator (hormone) called auxin, which suppresses activation of the dormant buds I mentioned. Removing the branch tip (apical meristem) and the leaves having been removed should reduce auxin flow which will allow activation of the dormant buds which are obligated to become branches. A singular leaf will never again grow from the point where a singular leaf once was.

Al